To Care Is To Be Weak
by SerenePanic
Summary: AU. Takahashi Bakura does not care. To care is to be weak. The last time he cared, Imani, his little sister, died. He will not care. But Bakura Ryou, his new neighbor, who he is NOT related too, despite what it looks like, can make him care... Right? WARNING: Rated T for swears in last chapter; character death. Minor Vaseshipping; vague Tendershipping. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: AU. Takahashi Bakura does not care. To care is to be weak. The last time he cared, Imani, his little sister, died. He will not care. But Bakura Ryou, his new neihbor (how many times will he have to tell everyone? They're not related) can make him care... Right? **

**WARNING: Rated T for a good reason, although it isn't apparent yet. Oh, and there's some death mentioned.**

**Disclaimer: I not Japanese male. I American female. I no own. **

_To Care Is To Be Weak_

Takahashi Bakura just does not care. Ever since Imani, his younger sister, died at the hands of that gang, he doesn't care. Everyone he cares about just ends up dying, it seems. And it always seems to be his fault. Take Imani, for instance. He got into an argument with a gang. They followed him home, and kidnapped Imani while he was at the grocery store, picking up some desperately needed shampoo. He left the store to find one of the gang's underlings waiting for him, motioning for him to follow. He did. The leader then tossed Imani's broken corpse at him. He saw red. Next thing he knew, the police were there, trying to restrain him from killing the gang leader. Nobody pressed charges against him. After all, the gang had murdered and innocent child. And that's all she was. A child. She was only seven. Bakura was thirteen. He should have protected her. But he didn't, and she died.

When his mother, Takahashi Mirai, moved them to Domino City, it was supposed to be a 'fresh start'. Translation: Bakura, get over it. That was three years ago. Move on. Make friends. Meet your cousins.

Mirai didn't seem to understand. Bakura didn't want friends. He didn't want to care. He _wouldn't_ care. And that was final.

And for a while, he didn't care. When his classmates tried to make friends, he scorned them until they left him alone. He grew the reputation of a "troublemaking loner."

When that anoying kid, Bakura Ryou (who was in no way related to him), transferred to his class, it quickly became apparent his normal method wouldn't work on him. What first drew them to each other was the similarities in name. After all, Bakura wasn't exactly a common name. What're the chances there would be two kids in one class, one with 'Bakura' for a surname, the other with it as a given name, that looked very similar? And they did look similar. Close enough to be brothers. Long white hair, pale skin, brown eyes. Bakura looked a bit harsher, whereas Ryou was softer. But they could still be mistaken for each other by someone who didn't know either of them too well.

Ryou just wouldn't leave him alone. He walked home with him (they lived on the same block too? Weird. Just weird.), sat with him at lunch during school, and did his best to make friends with him. It did nothing. Bakura would not care. He wouldn't make that mistake again. He Would Not Care. Ever.

Right?

Right.

But if that was true, why had Bakura helped him that day? He felt bad. That was it. Ryou reminded him of Imani. That's the only reason Bakura 'helped' (rescued) Ryou from the gang. Thats the only reason. The only reason... Right?

Whatever the reason, Ryou didn't need to hang around Bakura like a little lost dog. He could go make his own firnds, and leave Bakura alone. But... Why did that thought make Bakura feel sick on the inside?

Bakura didn't care. He didn't. Really, he didn't. He wouldn't care. He wouldn't give in to those puppy-dog eyes. He wouldn't help Ryou. He didn't care. He _didn't _care. He _did not care. _Right?

_~**-~*~-~**_Ryou POV_~**-~*~-~**_

To the uneducated eye, Ryou's apparent friendship with Takahashi Bakura made little sense. The older boy rarely talked to him, and when he did, it was with insults. He called Ryou 'weak', 'helpless', 'worthless', and other such insults. Why did Ryou hang around with him?

Simple.

Because Bakura-kun had helped him. Most others wouldn't.

_~**-~*~-~**__Flashback__~**-~*~-~**_

_ It was raining. Ryou hated rain. He'd run out of ice cream. He loved ice cream. That equaled one thing: brave the storm and get the tasty snack, or stay safe in his house and have no treat._

_ The things Ryou would do for his ice cream._

_ It was only for ice cream that Ryou would brave the storm. Nothing else was worth it._

That's not entirley true,_ Ryou though. _Amane was worth it. Mum was worth it. But he hadn't seen that in time.

It had been raining, and they needed eggs. _Ryou hadn't eated eggs since._ Amane had teased him for being a scaredy-cat, before heading out the door with Mum to get the eggs. Barely twenty minutes later, his dad got a phone call. _Ryou hated phones._ The officer had tried to be kind. His father hadn't. His father had been blunt. "Ryou, there was an accident. Amane and your mother are dead." _Life wasn't fair._

_ But since then, Ryou had hated storms. And eggs. Nobody understood why he wouldn't eat eggs. They thought he was allergic. He did nothing to change their minds._

_ It was a good thing he loved ice cream. _

_ He was leaving the store. It was later than he expected. He made his way across the parking lot. He'd walked to the store. It wasn't too far._

_ But tonight, something was different. A voice called out to him from an alley he was passing. Ryou'd faced his fair (more than) share of bullies/gangs. Being a feminine boy with white hair wasn't exactly something that screamed 'leave me alone.' More like the opposite. Ryou knew what to do when something likes this happens. _Run. Fast. NOW.

_ He ran. The gang caught up, and dragged him into an alley. The ice cream spilled. Ryou didn't care. That much. He wass surrounded by a gang. Why would he even be thinking of ice cream right then? But he was. _The things I do for ice cream.

_ It was a good thing he didn't say it out loud, or the gang would have been even harsher on the 'sissy' high school student._

_~**-~*~-~**_Bakura POV_~**-~*~-~**_

_ Bakura happened to be passing by at the time. What was he doing at midnight walking around? … he needed to get out of the house. He was seriously considering looking for a fight. He saw the carton of spilled oce cream, and his curiosity got the better of him. _Curiousity killed the cat,_ some part of his sub-concious reminded him. _But satisfaction brought it back,_ Bakura reminded himself._

_ His curiousity won. Bakura peeked around the corner, mildly surprsied at what he saw._

_ Bakura Ryou, that new kid from school, the one who hadn't got the hint to leave him alone, had been slammed against the brick wall, and the gang was, well, 'ganging' up on him, preparing to kick the defenceless boy. Bakura saw red, just like that day Imani died. Ryou reminded him of her, a little bit. The didn't look similar, but from the way Ryou acted at school, he really doubted he deserved it. _Just like her. He was an innocent. _The fact Ryou kept trying to be his friend, to be nice, wasn't the reason. No. It wasn't. Because that would mean Bakura cared._

_ The leader went to kick him. Bakura acted, and proceeded to either frighten the gang members off, or knock them out. _

_~**-~*~-~**_Ryou POV_~**-~*~-~**_

_They had stopped kicking him. Why? Ryou couldn't quite force his eyelids open to figure out why. _

_ Soon, he noticed that it was quiet, aside from the heavy breathing of... someone. Who? The answer was soon revealed._

_ "I know you're awake, kid." It was the kid from school, the one with the same name, who looked similar and had no friends. Takahashi-san._

_ "Oi. I'm still here. Open your eyes." Ryou forced his eyes open, as per Takahashi's intructions. The world was blurry, but he could still make out the basic details, just enough to confirm that it was, indeed, Takahashi who'd..._ helped..._him, before the world blurred and went black._

_~**-~*~-~**_Bakura POV_~**-~*~-~**_

Crud. _Either the kid was a total wimp, or he was in a worse condition that Bakura'd originally though. Either option was possible. _

Double crud._ Bakura didn't know where Ryou lived. He'd have to bring him to his house. It was a good thing his mother was on a business trip, and wouldn't be returing for a week. His fahter'd been dead since Bakura was seven. The only problem might be Ryou's folks, but Bakura didn't really care. After all, since when did Bakura care?_

_ If he didn't care, why was he bringing Ryou home with him? _He felt bad. That was it. Ryou didn't really deserve to be beat up... probably._ No matter what the reason, Bakura brought him to his house. When Ryou woke up the next morning, he was in for the shock of his life._

_~**-~*~-~**_Ryou POV_~**-~*~-~**_

_ It was warm. And dry. _What happened to the rain? And the alley, and the gang? Was it ust a bad dream? _When Ryou tried to take a deep breath, the sharp pains from his abdomin assured him _that_ had't been a dream. _

_ Okay, so maybe taking deep breaths was a bad idea. That would probably mean actually moving was screwed too. But opening his eyes wasn't bad, right? _What had happened last night?

_ Ryou opened his eyes. It wasn't bad. He wasn't in a hospital, as he'd been afraid he'd be in. he was in a bad, in a room. _Whose room?_ It wasn't familiar. _What had happened last night?_ Oh, yeah. Bakura showed up and saved you. That... was the most unlikely thing ever to happen. Ryou was pretty sure he made up _that_ part._

_ That is, until the door opened and Bakura was the one standing in the doorway._

_ "So you're awake, huh? Mind telling me what you did to piss those guys off bad enough to beat you up pretty badly? And why the heck _**(OK, he actually used the other word)**_ were you out at that time of night anyway?" Bakura sounded pissed._

_ Ryou winced. Bakura was really loud, and he was pretty sure he had a headache._

_ "I didn't do anything to make them mad at me. I've never met them before."_

_ Bakura raised an eyebrow. "So you just happened to run in to them, and they beat you up to the point of passing out."_

_ Ryou nodded, then stopped, as he realized nodding made the headache worse._

_ Bakura snorted. "Hm. Well, just take it easy, all right? I don't want a corpse in my guest room. That wouldn't look too good. Do you need to call a parent to tell them where you are?" Somehow, Bakura managed to make even _that_ sound insenitive._

_ Ryou started to shake his head, then stopped. "No. Mum died, and Dad couldn't really care less. He doesn't even live with me in any case."_

_ Bakura snorted again, then started to make his way out, pauing only to throw over his shoulder, "Go back to sleep. It's Sunday, there's no school, and we've got the next week off in any case. You probably don't want to have to miss school on account of a bruised stomach, do you?"_

_ Ryou barely heard him. He was already halfway asleep._

_~**-~*~-~**_Bakura POV_~**-~*~-~**_

_ Bakura paused in the doorway, waiting for an answer. When he didn't get one, he turned around in frustration, only to see Ryou had fallen asleep. Bakura snorted, again. _Wimp_._

_ Well, he did have a bit of an excuse. It was lucky for him Bakura had been passing by when he did; otherwise the damage could have been worse. As it was, it was bad enough. The kid wouldn't be free from pain for several weeks. _

_ That's why he took the kid in. Not because he cared. Because Bakura doesn't care. But because he didn't want a death on his conscience. And all right; he still didn't care about the kid, but school would have been pretty dull without him. That's all. That's the only reason. For entertainment. It wasn't because he cared. Because Bakura doesn't care. No. Bakura _can't_ care._

_~**-~*~-~**__Flashback End _(Ryou POV)_~**-~*~-~**_

Since that day, something had changed. Ryou never brought it up, senseing Bakura didn't want to talk about it (he was right), but he never forgot. The bruises that stayed there for two weeks didn't help. Since that night, Ryou stayed around Bakura. Not because Bakura was particularly nice to him (in fact, Bakura was harsher to him than anyone else), but because Bakura was, whether he admitted it or not, the first person, aside from Amane and his mother, to care.

Bakura still ignored him; well, when he wasn't insulting him, but Ryou stayed by him. It wasn't that he was into self-inflicted pain, it was that Bakura was... interesting. Ryou didn't know why he felt so drawn to Bakura. But he was.

_~**-~*~-~**_Bakura POV_~**-~*~-~**_

Why couldn't Ryou leave him alone? Why couldn't he understand Bakura _didn't want_ to be friends with _anyone_, let alone him? Just because he'd helped him out didn't mean he had to stay by him like a little lost puppy.

Why couldn't Ryou just leave him alone? More importantly: why couldn't he stay out of trouble? Ryou was _finally_ starting to get the hint to leave Bakura alone, and then he goes and gets beat up again, and he does it while Bakura's passing by. Bakura wouldn't just leave him to get beat up, and possibly killed (this guy was a big deal, some jerk by the name of Ushio. He _could_ kill Ryou), so he got into a fight with Ushio. He got suspended for a week, and some bruises on his face. Ushio was expelled.

But it left Ryou trailing after Bakura again. And then that summer, Bakura's cousins, Motou Yuugi and Atem, came back from their year in Egypt. They were in the same class as Ryou and was apperently fairly good friends with Bakura, even though he treated Atem the same way he treated most everyone. Yuugi was closer to Ryou, though. They were fairly good friends, to the point of the four of them sitting at lunch together and 'hanging out' (walking the streets and going to the arcade) after school.

But no matter how much they tried, nobody could make Bakura care. He just _wouldn't._ There wasn't a reason for him to care.

** A/N: I have NO FREAKIN' CLUE where this came from. I should be working on _Loneliness_. But I'm not... Anyhows, this is only going to be about two, maybe three, chapters long. I'm not planning on adding many more flashbacks. I might, if enough if you want them.**

** Anyways, could you PLEASE review? I'm not kidding when I say it makes me REALLY happy. Have a good day, and REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**WARNING: Minor Vaseshipping fluff ;) Gotta love it**

**Translations: **

**Nii-san: Big Brother**

**Nani: What**

**Anou: um, well, uh**

**Gomen: Sorry (Gomen nasai is slightly more polite)**

**Arigato: Thank you**

**Hmm... This is rather Tendershippy, and I didn't mean to... Take is as Yaoi or brotherlyness, whatever you want. I mean it in a brotherly way.**

_To Care Is To Be Weak _

_Chapter Two_

Slowly, ever so slowly, Bakura had become used to Ryou's presence. It took him nearly three years, but he didn't hate the younger boy now. No, he was just annoying. Yes, that's what. Annoying and weak. He wasn't cute. No. He didn't accept his presence because it made him secretly happy. It didn't. He did not like Ryou. He just didn't like bullies. Yes. That was it. That's why he felt so protective of him. Because he didn't like it when people threatened people weaker than him. That's it. It wasn't because he felt wildly, inexplicably, blackly angry when people threatened him. No. Ryou was like an annoying cousin. One who he _didn't care_ about. Rather like Yuugi. At least Atem wasn't always so freaking happy all the time.

_~**-~*~-~**_Ryou POV_~**-~*~-~**_

Ryou wasn't sure why he kept hanging around Bakura. Bakura didn't seem to like him; but Ryou had seen those moments, when Ryou was threatened and Bakura looked wildly angry. He denied it ever happening, but Ryou knew Bakura cared (despite his adamant protests to that), on some small level.

Actually, once he thought about it, that anger looked similar to Atem's, when Mana, a girl from their class, had been cornered on the way home from school. Yuugi, Ryou, and Atem had been walking home, on a rare day when Bakura was absent. They'd turned the corner, and saw Mana, backed up against the wall, with three guys, cracking their knuckles and slowly advancing. Atem had put them all in the hospital for a month.

Still, there wasn't a good reason for Ryou to stay around Bakura. He often told Ryou how he wished he would just leave him alone. Not that Ryou would; he pretty much ignored Bakura when he said that. Ryou was good at reading emotions, at seeing the hidden thoughts in people's eyes. He could see Bakura didn't really mind him, no matter what he said.

And it was because of that, because Ryou could see in Bakura's eyes, that despite his angry protests, his degrading insults, Ryou could see he didn't mean it. Ryou could tell he cared. If he truly didn't, he wouldn't spend time with him.

After all, he'd nearly admitted he cared, hadn't he? Yuugi had cornered him one day, and that's what he said. Yuugi wouldn't lie about something like that, Atem had confirmed it, and when Yuugi mentioned it to Bakura in front of Ryou one day, Bakura had flushed bright red and tried to deny it, stuttering the whole while.

_~**-~*~-~**__Flashback (Yuugi POV)__~**-~*~-~**_

_"Bakura-kun! Where are you going? Come on, Nii-san's taking us to the arcade! Aren't you coming?" _

_ Bakura turned around to look at Yuugi, clearly frustrated. "Yuugi-kun. I don't want to go to the arcade. There are better ways to spend my time then wasting it in a dark building playing video games." Bakura turned and started to head out._

_ Yuugi smirked. "You're just lonely." _

_ Bakura whipped his head around so fast, Yuugi thought it was going to fall off. _

_ "Na-nani? WHY would I be lonely? That would insinuate that I cared about R- anou, someone, and I don't."_

_ Yuugi just widened his eyes and laughed. Confused, Bakura turned to Atem, only to see _him _trying to contain his chuckles._

_ "WHAT?" Bakura was getting annoyed._

_ Trying to compose himself, Atem explained: "Gomen, but you see... Yuugi never said anything about Ryou. He just said you were lonely. You jumped to the conclusion that he meant you missed Ryou by youself. And he never said anything about caring. You can miss someone without caring for them. The fact that you came to that conclusion by yourself means you _do _care! Oh, I can't wait to tell Ryou-kun!"_

_ Bakura paled so fast, it looked like he's seen a ghost. "You... you _wouldn't_. Besides, he's im Egypt, with his dad, remember?" (Ryou had been spending the summer with his dad in Egypt, leaving Bakura feeling bored, and depressed, for reasons he couldn't figure out.)_

_ Atem raied an eyebrow. "You sure about that? Besides, he's back from Egypt. We were planning to meet him at the arcade; which is why Yuugi asked if you wanted to come. I think Ryou wanted to see you; he didn't really seem to care much for meeting up at the arcade with us until Yuugi mentioned he was planning on asking you if you wanted to come, when he perked up like a shot and agreed to go right away. But if you don't want to go, I'm sure he'll understand..." Atem trailed off, trying hard not to let Bakura see the grin that threatened to press through._

_ Bakura cocked his head. "Well, I guess. Ryou's more interesting than you buggers, that's for sure. At least it won't be mind-numblingly dull with him there."_

_ Atem and Yuugi just looked at each other, wondering how Bakura couldn't see he was such a hypocrite. And it didn't matter what Bakura said about not telling him; they were _soo _telling Ryou first chance they got._

_~**-~*~-~**__Flashback End__~**-~*~-~**_

Ryou hadn't believed them at first, but seeing Bakura's reaction when they cornered him and asked about it confirmed what they had told him. It definitely made up for the boring trip.

As did the scene after, which Ryou, even though he had been there himself, wasn't quite sure actually happened.

_~**-~*~-~**__Flashback__~**-~*~-~**_

_ Ryou shifted uncomfortably when he realized Bakura was looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Bakura opened his mouth, as if to say something, then frowned and shut it quickly._

_ "What is it, Bakura-kun?" Ryou asked, as a way of redirecting the attention from himself. What had happened before Bakura and the twins got there? Yuugi kept looking at Atem, as if there was a joke going on Ryou didn't know about, and Atem looked ready to burst out laughing - which wasn't something he normally did. He was normally quite collected and calm. Whatever happened must have been interesting- and Bakura looked confused, frustrated (which was normal), and a bit redder than normal. What on _Earth _had happened?_

_ Bakura raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I was just thinking."_

_ Confused, Ryou cocked his head to the side. "You were looking at me funny. Like you were about to say something, but thought better of it."_

_ Bakura smirked. "If I thought better of it, it means it wasn't worth saying. Wouldn't you agree?"_

_ Ryou frowned, thought for a moment, before saying, "Well, it depends. Sometimes, people don't say something because they're afraid of how others react, or afraid of sounding stupid. Sure, sometimes it'll be a stupid question, because they already know the answer, or no one knows that answer."_

_ Bakura looked taken aback. "Huh. Uh, well, it wasn't anything. Just a stupid question."_

_ Ryou raised an eyebrow. "I seriously doubt it was stupid. Were you just afraid of asking it?"_

_ Indignant, Bakura nearly shouted, "Afraid? Me? No! I... Just forget it! Why do you do this anyways?"_

_ Wide-eyed and innocent,Ryou looked up at Bakura and asked, pulling off his innocent act as best he could, "Why do I do what? Ask questions? So I can learn things, and understand people better."_

_ "Why would you want to understand other people?" Bakura scowled._

_ "So I can help them, of course. If I understood why Atem gets so tongue-tied around Mana, and looks like a cherry whenever she asks if he would do the littlest thing for her-" _

_ Atem splutter, "I do not!"_

_ Ryou continued as though he hadn't been interuppted,"-and walked around in a happy daze for a week and a half after he helped her with studying for her finals and she was so happy when she passed she hugged him,and gets really mad when guys even so much as _look_ at her, and gets all mopey when she gets asked out on a date and she accepts, then I might be able to help stop it. I think he just likes her, but he keeps denying it, so..."**(1)**_

_ By now, Atem was as red as a cooked lobster, Yuugi was trying so desperately hard not to laugh that his face was slowly turning purple, and Bakura had a hand over his mouth, staring at the devious creature in front of him that he had previously thought of as too nice to try anything like that. Perhaps he'd been wrong..._

_ "Oh! Hiya 'Tem! Oh, and Yuugi-kun, Bakura-san, and Ryou-kun! Wasn't expecting to run into _you_ four here!" _

_ Speak of the devil. _

_ "Atem? Why... Why are you so red? Are you sick? Do you need any help? Yuugi-kun, has he been out in the rain without a coat again?" _

_ Yuugi took several quick deep breaths to calm himself, as Atem buried his head in his lap._

_ "Oh, hi Mana! Nah, Atem's fine. He's red because... Uh, you REALLY don't want to know. How're you?" Desperately trying to steer the conversation away from the awkward subject it had been on previously, Yuugi was grasping at straws. He may be fine with embarrassing Bakura, but not his brother._

_ The brunnette cocked her head to the side, confused at the sudden subject change, but answered anyway. "Anou, I'm doing fine. I got back from visiting Nii-san a few days ago."_

_ Atem had recovered enough to join in the conversation. "Really? How is Mahad-san?"_

_ Mana smiled, either excited to talk about her older brother, or just happy to talk to Atem. Either option was possible. "He's doing great! He really liked his college, even though he misses hanging with, I'm QUOTING here, 'The only mature guys in all of Japan.' I'm sorry, WHAT__?__Did he really just call Yuugi and Bakura the most mature the most mature guys in Japan? Sorry, guys, but it's true," she directed to Yuugi and Bakura who had their mouths open in protest. Turning back to Atem, she added, "I meam, him calling you and Ryou mature I can understand, but those two? No way. Actually, now that I think about it, he may have just been talking about you two."_

_ Atem's face, which had finally returned to it's normal color, was slowly creeping back to pink. Apparently, compliments from Mana were a big deal... this was very interesting._

_ "Anou, thanks?" Atem said, not quite sure what to say._

_ Mana smiled and said, "Don't worry, it was a compliment. You know, I never really properly thanked you for saving me..."_

_ Atem blushed even further and said, "It's okay; it really is-"_

_ Mana cut him off. "I don't care. I want to thank you properly. Um, I wanted to know if you'd like to let me take you out to dinner on Saturday night, as a thank-you, y'know? But, if you don't want to, you don't have to," she quickly added the end, seeing Atem's speechless face and taking it the wrong way. It was clear she wanted him to say yes, but she wasn't going to make him if he didn't want._

_ Atem shook his head, then assured her, "No, that's fine! Um, when do you want to meet up?"_

_ Mana ducked her head, her growing smile only visible to Ryou. "I was thinking around six-thirty, in front of the park?"_

_ "Great! See you then?" _

_ Mana nodded, picked her head up for one last smile, waved good-bye to everyone, and ran out of the room. Ryou quietly got up to follow her (but not before seeing Atem's face break out into a ridiculously large smile), and met up with her in front of the arcade. She was leaning on the bench, trying desperately to quelch her giggles._

_ Ryou smiled, and said, "So, someone's happy, aren't they?"_

_ Mana looked up, her face flushing as red as a cherry instantly. "Ryou-kun! I, uh..."_

_ Ryou laughed and waved his hand. "It's okay. If it makes you feel better, Atem-kun's doing essentially the same thing, only..."_

_ Mana raised an eyebrow. "Without the girlish giggles?"_

_ Ryou nodded, and waited for what he said to take effect in Mana's brain._

_ He could practically see the lightbulb go off in her head. _

_ "Wait, Atem-kun's happy to go out to dinner with me?"_

_ Ryou unsuccessfully tried to hide his smile. "I do believe, Mana-chan, you could call it a date and he wouldn't mind. In fact, it's probably make him even happier."_

_ Mana looked like she could light up a whole city with just her smile. "You think?" When Ryou nodded, her smile, if it was possible, grew even bigger. "Arigato Ryou-kun! See you at school!" Mana ran off, definitely on cloud nine._

_ Ryou shook his head at her, and headed back to the gang, not planning on telling Atem what he had told Mana. He'd probably get beat up, while Bakura stood in a corner and laughed._

_ As he neared the corner the gang was in, he heard something that made him pause._

_ "Seriously! What kind of cousins are you?! You said you wouldn't!"_

_ Atem's serious voice broke in. "Actually, we just said we'd be meeting him at the arcade. We never said we wouldn't tell him..."_

_ Bakura's voice broke in again. "Come on! Don't go giving him the wrong idea! So what, I may have been a bit bored with him in Egypt! That does not mean I care about him! I don't care about _anybody_, you two! Get that in your heads!"_

_ Yuugi chimed in, "But that would mean you care about what he thinks of you, which means os some level, you DO care!"_

_ Before this converation could get any worse for Bakura, (and because Ryou wanted to see if he was imainging this whole conversation; had Bakura just admitted he MISSED Ryou?) Ryou stepped into the corner._

_ "Hello! I'm back! Did you talk about anything interesting?"_

_ And that answered that question. Yuugi and Atem shared mirth-filled look, the kind they only got after messing with Bakura, and Bakura glared and crossed his arms, glaring at everyone in a very clear I-don't-want-to-talk-about-this motion, but not before you saw the dusting of red on his cheeks. So he HADN'T imagined that conversation? How... Queer._

_~**-~*~-~**__Flashback End__~**-~*~-~**_

So, on some strange, odd level, Ryou knew Bakura did care, it just wasn't obvious. And Bakura denied it. However, Ryou knew, and that's all that matters.

_~**-~*~-~**__Chapter_ _End__~**-~*~-~**_

**(1)- For the record, Ryou isn't oblivious. He's just trying to prove a point to Bakura, as well as to slightly embarrass Atem. Come on, you know you would want to! ^-^ I know Ryou probably wouldn't do this in a canon setting (he's too nice), but I couldn't help it!**

**Okay, here's the thing. I only have one more chapter planned, and then THIS STORY IS OVER, but if enough people review (hint hint) and tell me if they want more chapters with flashbacks (which I'd need ideas for), THEY HAVE TO REVIEW AND TELL ME. PLEASE.**

**I'm sorry, but I only got one review for last chapter. Well, technically I got two, but the first DIDN'T COUNT, because that was my annoying friend. YOU HEAR THAT, EVA? STOP PRETENDING TO BE SIMISTOS AND MAKING FUN OF ME. Not that I'm mad at her or anything, she's like my sister, but she really didn't have to do that. Grr.**

**Anyways, thanks to PenguinLoverGurl for reviewing: Things like this are hard, but that's why we give as much emotional support, when we can't give physical support, when we can.**

**Super-special-awesome thanks to **Kiara victory Tatsu** for being the first follower, and and just plain THANK YOU! thanks to **EmotionalDisaster666**, **Nani-1-9-5**, and **TimeAndRythmDoesIndeedSleep** for following. I'm really not kidding when I say you people made me jump for joy.**

**So, REVIEW, (but not you Eva) and PLEASE tell me if you want more than one more chapter. Seriously.**

Simistos:** You didn't put me in!**

**Ah! What're you doing here?**

**S: Well, you followed Eva's instructions about mentioning her... And I wanted to be in!**

**Um... Okay... Well, now that you're here, do the disclaimer, 'cuz I forgot to at the beginning.**

**S: ...You are so nice. Anyway, my wonderful hikari doesn't own anything. Except her candy. Now review, because otherwise she's super cranky (and we already went through all the crankiness she had today. I don't want her to have anymore.)**

… **You're not nice.**

**S: Not supposed to be. Go eat the chocolate egg while I apologize for the freakishly long A/N. So, sorry for this freakishly long A/N. Now review. Or I'll send you to the shadow Realm. … Nah, you'll just have to wait a long time for the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**WARNING: This is where the rating 'T' comes into play. Bad language ahead. Don't read it you're a huge Tendershipping fan who wants a happy ending. You won't get it.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh!, Zexal wouldn't exist, and LK's videos would stop getting taken down. (You hear that YouTube?)**

**Oh, remember what I said last chapter? About how this isn't Tendershipping? ...Yeah, scratch that.**

_~**-~*~-~**__To Care Is To Be Weak__~**-~*~-~**_

_Chapter Three_

_~**-~*~-~**__Bakura POV__~**-~*~-~**_

He was graduating. It was a strange feeling; to know he was graduating. For years, he though hed always be in High School, that forever he'd be trapped in the crowded corriders of Domino High. But now, he was graduating, along with his cousins.

He didn't really want to graduate; to leave the world he knew and get a full-time job (there was no way he was going to college), and then what? Get a girlfriend? He didn't need one. Girls were moronic bimbos. Not that he'd ever say that aloud, Anzu, Yuugi's girlfriend, and Mana, who _finally _started dating Atem, would kill him if he ever said that to them. Before you ask- no, he wasn't gay. He wasn't attracted to ANYONE, whether male or female.

So now, as a result of not wanting to graduate, Bakura was in a _bad_ mood. He got his diploma, and stalked off. He didn't really remember what happened at the ceremony. What happened afterwards, however, was forever seared in his memory, to replay over and over again.

He'd been invited to a graduation party by the Motou's, at a park. It wasn't for just Atem, and Yuugi. It was for Bakura and Ryou too, since Ryou'd rather have a party with his friends and Bakura's mom just didn't care.

He hadn't wanted to go in the first place, but he was swayed by the promise of free food and cake. Afterwards, he'd wish he never went.

It wasn't huge, which Bakura was eternally grateful for, but there were people. Not a lot, but... enough. There was Ryou's dad, Yuugi and Atems parent's and grandfather, Mana, Anzu, some kids from class whose names Bakura never bothered with. Bakura's mom wazsn't there; not that he cared. After all, he was Takahashi Bakura, and he _didn't care_. For once, he wasn't even trying to dissuade himself, he really didn't care.

It was loud too. The music, the voices, it was all too much. So Bakura slipped out the of the pavilion, out to the pond, hoping to find quiet. Instead, he found Ryou.

"Ryou. What are you doing out here?" Bakura asked, annoyed. Ryou started and turned around.

"Bakura-san! I thought you were inside?" Ryou asked, ignoring the question.

"It was loud, idiot. You didn't asnwer. Why are _you_ out here?" Bakura snapped.

Ryou turned back the way he'd been facing, smiling softly. "I just wanted to be by myself for a bit. It's a bit much, isn't it? Graduating? High school's over, and now... I'm thinking about heading to college. I kow Yuugi-kun and Atem-kun are going to college, but... I'm not sure what I want to do. What about you?"

Bakura scowled. "College is a waste of time. I'm probably going to get a job, and get on with my life."

Ryou chuckled softly. "It may be a waste of time _now_, but in the long run, when you can get a better job because you went to school..." Ryou trailed off, looking at the sunset.

Bakura's scowl became even more pronouced. "It's not like I care. I don't really need a job. Why don't you just shut up, and stop trying to force your ideas on me," he snapped.

Ryou turned to him, looking confused. "Forcing ideas on you? Bakura-san, I'm not doing any such thing. I'm simply stating the advantages of going to college."

Bakura glared at him, and hissed, "Just shut _up_. I don't _care_ about the 'advantages.'"

Ryou shook his head good-naturedly, though to Bakura's bad mood, it appeared insolent.

"That's right. I forgot, you 'don't care' about anything. You're Takahashi Bakura. You are the epitome of 'not caring.' Personally, I don't believe you. I think you _can_ care, you just pretend not to. You're a good person. You care. You do."

That snapped him. Something in Bakura's eyes flashed, and he reached out and grabber Ryou's collar, growling dangerously, and focred Ryou to look him in the eye.

"Shut. The Hell. Up. I don't care. You don't seem to believe me. You seem to be under the impression I can care. You think I care about you? Please. I don't even care about _Yuugi_, and he's my_ cousin_. Why the _hell_ would I care about _you_? You're a weak, worthless piece of _shit_. I'll _never_ care about you. Why do I stop people from beating you up? Because I like fighting. It has nothing to do with _you_; why would it? I _hate_ you. You're just a piece of worthless crap, who hides behind people bigger than you. You're stupid, worthless, pathetic, skinny, girly, and annoying. Nobody cares anything about you. Why don't you do everyone a favor and go crawl in a hole and _die_? Then nobody would have to put up with you."

Bakura let go of Ryou, and Ryou turned away.

"Is that really how you feel?" Ryou's voice was so quiet, Bakura nearly didn't hear it.

"Yes." Bakura was quiet too, but his voice was laced with anger.

"Fine then. Good-bye Bakura-san." With that, Ryou turned and quickly, but not too quickly, walked off into the night. Bakura scoffed at his retreating back, then headed back into the pavilion. He probably should apologize; he didn't _really_ mean all those things. It wasn't Ryou's fault Bakura was frustrated, and had a headache. It didn't matter; he'd see him tomorrow. He could make amends then.

_~**-~*~-~**__Ryou POV__~**-~*~-~**_

Ryou was an idiot. He'd actually let himself believe Bakura could care. He was wrong. He'd seen it, when Bakura forced him to look him in the eye.

Bakura had meant every word he said. His words were all laced with venom, and he really did believe all those words he'd said to Ryou.

All those cruel, hurtful words. He really meant it when he said no one cared, when he said it would be a favor to die.

What hurt the most wasn't that. What hurt the most was Bakura, telling Ryou he didn't care; he never would; he hated him; he was worthless. He'd often told Ryou he was a spineless coward, that he was weak, but he'd never had that venom in his voice he did now.

Ryou was a fool. Why had he let Bakura become someone important to him? If he hadn't; he wouldn't be in this mess- he would feel as though he was being crushed. He wouldn't feel as though his heart had been brutally ripped out, dissected, and crammed back in.

Bakura thought he should die, huh? Bakura was all Ryou had to live for. His dad didn't care; his mother and sister were dead, Yuugi would get over it- he had Anzu, after all, and Atem wasn't as close as Yuugi. And even if Atem was said, Mana would cheer him up. Mana...

No. Mana wouldn't care either. It would hurt a bit at fist; then it woulde better. No one would be really crushed. Ryou would be forgotten soon.

That thought in mind, Ryou headed off to one of the higher buildings in Domino- Tokio Hotel. **(1)** Soon, this nightmare would be over, and he'd be with the one person who he knew would always love him, no matter what he did. His dead younger sister. Amane. It would all be over soon. It was a fairly cold night. No one was out. No one could stop him.

As he walked to Tokio Hotel, Ryou contemplated if this was the right decision. Was this really the right decision? Sure, Bakur had told him to do die. But did Ryou really want to do what Bakura told him to do?

Somewhere deep insde, Ryou knew the answer. He'd do anything Bakuratold him to do- even kill himself. If it would make Bakura happy, Ryou would do it. After all, Ryou owed Bakura for saving him. If killing himself was the only way to pay him back, then so be it.

Even further down, Ryou knew that life without Bakura would suck. Ryou depended on Bakura more than he wanted to. He was crushed when Bakura told him to go die. When he told him he hated him. Life with a Bakura who hated him wasn't worth living.

Before he knew it, Ryou had arrived at Tokio Hotel. This was his last chance- was he going to go up there? Tking a deep breath, Ryou arrived at his final decision.

_~**-~*~-~**__Bakura POV__~**-~*~-~**_

Ugh. It was too early to get up. No sane creature gets up at... _one-thirty_?! Crap! Bakura fell out of bed, and hurridly put on jeans and a blue tee-shirt. It was a Saturday- Ryou would be at the coffee shop getting coffee and donuts, then at the park for the rest of the day. If Bakura wanted to apologize, he should do it today.

Bakura threw open the door to his house, and ran into Atem, who was running up the pathway to Bakura's house.

"Ah! Atem, you _idiot_, what are you _doing_ here?" Bakura snapped, upset at having his meeting with Ryou delayed.

Atem looked up, and Bakura was taken aback by the anger in his eyes.

"_Me_?! _I'm_ the idiot?! Listen to the pot call the kettle black!" Atem yelled.

"Oi! What are you yelling about?" Bakura snapped.

Atem scoffed. "Like you don't know. What the hell did you _say_ you Ryou last night?" He'd stopped yelling, but now he was speaking in this quiet, deadly, hard voice.

"Uh... I had a headache? I don't really remember..." That was a lie. He knew _exactly_ what he'd said.

Atem scoffed again. "I don't believe you. Do you realize how much Ryou looked up to him? He'd do anything you told him you, you bastard."

Bakura frowned. "What's with the name calling? And what does Ryou have to do with anything? Did he end up at you house, crying?"

Atem rolled his eyes. "I _wish_. Did you know Ryou had self confidence issues? That he's been depressed ever since his mother and sister died? That for years, he's been bordering on suicidal?"

"Uh... no?" Bakura was confused now. What did this have to do with _anything_?

Atem curled his lip. "Don't you get it? You told him to go die, didn't you?"

Suddenly, Bakura could see where this was going. His eyes widened in horror. "No... he _wouldn't._.."

Atem looked at him with an expression of hate that looked so sincerely out of place on his face, it was hard to believe it was him.

"He would. He would, and did. Yuugi's at home, _sobbing_ his heart out. Anzu and Mana can't comfort him, because they're just as distraught. You made the already border-line-suicidal boy commit _suicide_. Why? Because you couldn't suck up your _pride_ and admit that you cared? You don't seem to get it! Ryou's DEAD! He jumped off TOKIO HOTEL last night! Ryou's DEAD and it's YOUR FAULT! YOU AS GOOD AS KILLED MY BROTHER'S BEST FRIEND!" By now, Atem was shouting, with good reason.

On seeing Bakura's shocked/frozen face, his anger snapped, and Atem, the peaceful, calm, collected, good-natured teenager, punched Bakura on the face. Bakura collapsed on the ground, and Atem stalked off, to go join his brother in his grief.

And people wondered why Bakura didn't care? It's because when he did, people died. Bakura got up, went inside, and as he closed his door, the reality of it struck him. Ryou was _dead_. Because of _him._

A few weeks later, another teen, unable to deal with the guilt of having caused an innocent's death, jumped off Tokio Hotel.

_~**-~*~-~**__The End__~**-~*~-~**_

… **I know. I'm evil. I get it. I killed Ryou. And Bakura too. Do you see why it's rated 'T' now? **

**(1): ...Tokio Hotel isn't a real hotel. And I know it's actually 'Tokyo'. I meant like the band Tokio Hotel. Actually, go listen to 'Don't Jump' by them. It's fairly obvious what it's about.**

**Thank you **Mariklover222 **for favoriting this story, and for favorite author-ing me!**

**This is shorter than the other chapters... But now it's over! All done! Bye-bye! **

**-SerenePanic**


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